Features & opinion
The pieces that take a little longer.
Long-reads, analysis and opinion on the game from grassroots up — the stories you can't fit in 280 characters and shouldn't try to.
The Data Sunday League Isn't Collecting — And Why It Matters
Every weekend millions of matches vanish unrecorded. The clubs that capture them are quietly pulling ahead.
Why Grassroots Clubs Are Quietly Becoming Tech Companies
Subs by direct debit, team apps, automated match reports. The Sunday-morning club has a back office now.
The Volunteer Economy That Holds Football Together
Strip out the unpaid hours and the grassroots game collapses by Tuesday. We tried to count them.
Your Club's Website Is Costing You Players
A dead Facebook page and a WhatsApp group is not a front door. Parents choose clubs they can actually find.
Match Reports Used to Take an Hour. Now They Take a Minute.
AI didn't replace the coach's eye. It replaced the Sunday-night admin nobody had time for.
The Premier League Trickles Down. Slowly.
Billions at the top, jumble-sale nets at the bottom. Following the money from the Prem to the park.
Pitch a long-read
Got a story the rest of football is missing?
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